


Morning Light

by loganfrancismiller



Category: Catfish and the Bottlemen (Band)
Genre: F/M, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-30
Updated: 2020-04-30
Packaged: 2021-03-02 05:21:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,324
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23929837
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/loganfrancismiller/pseuds/loganfrancismiller
Summary: Delilah "Dolly" is visiting her Aunt for the summer of her sopohmore year of high school. Excited to get away from the typical summers spent in Franklin, Tennessee she has no idea what her friend Tallulah "Lou" is going to get her into.
Relationships: OC / van mccann





	Morning Light

The distinct scent of coffee filled her nostrils causing an unexpected wave of nausea strong enough to cause her eyes to close. They remained shut on instinct from exhaustion and the soothing roll of the car against pavement was only aiding her need to sleep. If it had been a respectable hour and not five thirty in the morning she surely would have welcomed the caffeine but it only made her feel sick to her stomach. A song lulled on the radio from the front seat but she could only focus on getting into a bed soon. Beginning to drift off she imagined the comfort of a blanket wrapped around her and the soft embrace of a pillow to her head. There was no relaxing on the turbulent second half of the nine hour flight which was only a partial reason to her being tired. Most of it could be pinpointed directly to her choice to pack last minute giving her only three hours of sleep the night before. As terrible of a habit as it was she always packed last minute so that she would not overthink or over pack. Every single time it came back to bite her and this was no exception.

"Delilah." Her mother, Sophia's, voice brought her back as she opened her eyes. Exhaustion was easily read on her slouched body curled against the window in the best attempt for comfort that could be managed. She tried her hardest not to be aggravated for being disrupted. "Didn't you sleep on the plane?" She asked, unaware that her daughter was awake the entire time. It must have been hard to tell when she was sound asleep with an eye mask and neck pillow to help her sleep better. Delilah grumbled and sat up straight, her body still against the window as she tried to distance herself from the smell of the cup in her mother's hand. Her mother's talking was silenced only for a moment as she sipped on the coffee. "It's only twenty more minutes." She meant to be reassuring but the tone came off more matter of fact than anything. Delilah let it slide knowing that her mother was preoccupied with so many other things that she could not possibly pay attention to the way the words were coming out of her mouth.

Aunt Alice, Sophia's sister, had moved overseas the previous year from her home of an outside suburb of Seattle to start new in North Wales. Delilah assumed she was running from something that she just did not want to tell her family but when she shared this theory with her mother Sophia said that her daughter's imagination was running rapid. That didn't stop her from building an entire story in her head of her aunt's past and how she lived now. Her aunt used to visit several times a year making her absence for the past months more noticeable. Both older women had a very close sisterly relationship that couldn't even be separated by state lines. Phone calls weekly and letters would keep the two in touch. Now the calls were less frequent due to the time zone change but letters and updates on social media occasionally popped up showing that she was at least okay.

When the idea of spending her summer vacation 2010 abroad for her sophomore year high school was pitched to Delilah, she hardly thought twice about saying yes. Her father worked hard so his family could afford a family trip together once a year but all of her summer vacations were spent at home. Not spending several hours tanning at the over crowded local swimming pool had her so excited that she said yes with almost too much excitement. Delilah, however, was not as out of the loop as her mother figured and she knew that Sophia still worried about her sister using this visit as a reason to put her worries aside. 

In an effort to stay awake Delilah reached for her phone to check for any incoming notifications.

In an effort to stay awake Delilah reached for her phone to check for any incoming notifications  
(4:50 a.m.) Lou: I'm going to bed. Text me when you get in! You know at a normal hour though. zzz.

Smiling at the text message Delilah put the phone down deciding to text her in a few hours. Another part of her willingness to say yes was that Delilah would have a friend to keep her company. Only a few weeks after settling in Aunt Alice sent an email, a form of communication that Delilah thought had already become extinct, explaining that there was a girl who lived in the neighboring house, Tallulah, that was the same age as Delilah and attached the address so that the two could become pen pals. The idea of writing letters back and forward was an even more extinct way to talk but it was also old enough that it had a level of nostalgia to it. After four letters to evaluate if they could be friends or not the two linked up through texting and followed each other on social media allowing the two to become even closer in their friendship. 

Varying shades of purple and orange decorated the sky outside the vehicle indicating sunrise, the start of a new day. Her eyes, while as heavy as they were, stayed focused outside the window for the remainder of the trip enjoying the colors of morning. To say she was relieved when the car came to a halt only moments later was an understatement but somehow her Aunt was even more excited. Still in her pajamas and robe Alice waved from her doorstep approaching as soon as the driver put the car in park. "Good morning!" She said cheerfully while helping get their few items of luggage out of the trunk. Delilah was still not thrilled to be awake but managed to get a smile on her face and greet her aunt back including her best effort in a hug. In little time they made it through the front door where warm glowing light still illuminated the darker part of the inside to her home. 

"Dolly dear." Her aunt called down the hall. The nickname for Delilah was so common among her entire family at this point that she was almost convinced naming her Delilah was a last minute change during birth. With her medium sized luggage trailing behind her Delilah followed the sound of Alice's voice. "I know it's not great but I tried my best to set up a guest bed for you so you'll be comfortable this summer." Knowing that her aunt was belittling her abilities to accommodate Delilah walked into the room only to be more than impressed with the work that had been done. Given the two book shelves adorned with both actual books and trinkets it was obvious that her aunt was using this area as a study. A box sat in the corner of the room where she had cleaned up some items around the room so that there was a clear walking path and a sense of tidiness. At home Delilah's room looked like this only on a good day. Her eyes scanned the room over focusing on the day bed was set up as a functioning bed where as Alice had probably been using it to lounge and read. 

"Why don't you get some sleep? You look exhausted." Her aunt motioned toward the bed before making an exit, stopping only to close the door. After getting some rest Delilah would surely thank her for the sleeping arrangement and have the capability to actually hold a conversation but for the time being she just wanted to close her eyes. Discarding her shoes, she climbed into the bed and drifted off to sleep so quickly she hardly had the time to think about what tomorrow could hold.


End file.
